Recipe: Salt-Crusted Potatoes (Papas Arrugadas) with Mojo Verde

Skip the mashed potatoes and bring some global flavor and spice to the table. These potatoes originated in the Canary Islands, from where the first San Antonians came some 300 years ago.

Potatoes

3 pounds fingerling or small Yukon Gold potatoes (see Note)

2 ¾ cups kosher salt

1 tablespoon cumin seeds, toasted

Mojo Verde

1 large or 2 small poblano chiles (6 ounces), stemmed, cut lengthwise into quarters and seeded

3 cups packed fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems

½ ripe avocado, pitted, peeled and chopped

¼ cup blanched slivered almonds, toasted

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted

Kosher salt

For Potatoes: In a large Dutch oven over high, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Add the potatoes, salt and cumin, then cook, stirring occasionally to dissolve the salt and adjusting the heat as needed to maintain a rapid simmer (not a boil), until a fork inserted into the largest potato easily slides in and out, 25 to 30 minutes.

Drain the potatoes, then spread on a wire rack set on a baking sheet. Let dry until a salt crust forms on the skins, about 5 minutes. Serve with mojo sauce.

For Mojo Verde: In a 10-inch skillet over medium-high, toast the chiles, flipping occasionally with tongs, until spotty brown on both sides, about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly, then roughly chop.

In a blender, combine the chiles, cilantro, avocado, almonds, oil, lemon zest and juice, cumin and ½ teaspoon salt. With the machine running, stream in 3 tablespoons of water and puree until the sauce is thick and creamy. Taste and season with salt, keeping in mind that the potatoes are salty.

Note: It’s best to use whole small, lower-starch potatoes, such as fingerlings or Yukon Golds that are 1-1 ½ inches in diameter.

The potatoes and sauce can be made a day ahead. The mojo will oxidize, though, so cover with plastic wrap pressed onto the surface of the sauce before putting into the fridge. To reheat, bring out the sauce an hour or so before your meal and allow it to come to room temperature. The potatoes can be zapped quickly in the microwave (but they’re also fabulous at room temperature or as a cold snack.)